Amstel Gold Race 2023 LIVE - Tom Pidcock best placed to prevent a Pogacar rampage in the Dutch Ardennes

POGACAR RODE FOR 29KM ON A FLAT TYRE

"I was on a sort of flat tyre for many K’s in the front. I was really frustrated because we didn’t have cars for such a long time. Then we managed to get the bike just in time before the final climbs. It was really tight and really nervous.”

Wild wild wild.

“Mathieu van der Poel told me I should go on the Keutenberg. It is the most hard climb. It suits me the most. I will thank him for that advice.”

The clock ticks up, and up, and up. Ben Healy brings home an outstanding 2nd place for Ireland and EF some 40 seconds later and congratulates his foe, whose class he simply wasn't in. Despite having no legs left to sprint, Tom Pidcock has indeed hung on to 3rd, even as he looks back to see Lutsenko and Kron cat and mousing behind him.

Onto the dead straight final, there's been no stopping him. Huge margin, brutal victory.

Over the final climb, the Bemelerberg, and Pogacar is cruising for home. The gap is now big enough to allow the UAE team car to honk its way past Healy and be of help if Pogacar needs it. The only question left is whether Pidcock is going to be able to hang on to the final podium place.

Now not doing much more than he needs to, while Ben Healy does what he can to ensure Pidcock doesn't come back to him. Now twenty seconds or so between each of the front three riders. Everyone else is nowhere.

The Irishman knows he has to go long, and he flies the coop on the Geuhemmerberg. Pidcock can do very little about it.

And with the cowbells are ringing all around, he's making light work of the climb. They're watching one of the greatest riders we've ever seen in flying form. Healy and Pidcock continue a deux. The young Irishman will be very happy with a podium place here.

On the Keutenberg he just eases himself away and there's nothing even a rider as talented as Tom Pidcock can do.

And nor is anyone else. Pogacar has been putting down the power to the point where the front three have a larger-than-it-sounds lead of 15 seconds over the next two on the road, while the larger group behind, containing Jai Hindley (Bora) and Benoot, is about a minute further away.

"He wants to kill them," says Brian Smith. Carlton agrees. "He's throttling the belief out of them."

One of the hardest climbs of the race. Only Tom Pidcock is able to go with him but Ben Healy (ED Education) has enough in the tank to get back on terms towards the top of the climb, while Lutsenko and Kron may be able to join them. Pogacar seems to like his new bike, and if that's what's been holding him back, god help them all.

At the foot of the Kruisberg. He's wanted this for ages, and finally got it. His team car helps him make the swap in what looks like an age but is pretty swift, as team-mate Trentin slingshots himself off Schelling's wheel. He could be of help to Pogacar, but the Slovenian doesn't seem to need the assistance and is back in the fold of the breakaway reasonably swiftly.

Behind it's breaking up, and last year's winner Michal Kwiatkowski says goodbye to his chances.

But the Bora rider is shadowed smartly by Matteo Trentin, who isn't going to do anything for him, with his team-mate Pogacar up the road. Schelling has succeeded in causing problems in that chase group, who look around at each other. "Who's going after them?" they all ask.

Bauke Mollema (Trek Segafredo) is doing his best behind. With the peloton reduced to maybe 20 or so, a catch really doesn't look like it is going to happen. Maybe the best chance now is for one or two from the peloton to ride across. Big ask, though.

Which tells you they're concerned, because he was surely one of their favoured players. Neilson Powless crawls along, indicating that he also went down. He's had a decent spring, but this isn't going to be his day.

One slipped on the white lines of a seemingly straightforward right hand bend and collected a whole load of about 20 riders. That's not going to help the chase, and the lead has noticeably grown in just a short distance.

Fredrik Dversnes (Uno X) was looking dazed on the floor; Cavagna and Devenyns (Soudal Quick Step) also went down.

That's Brian Smith's assessment of the situation. He says that Wout Poels and Nikias Arnt are the only two riders working for the chase, and no cooperation with other teams who also stand to benefit from it. In contrast, the leaders have a majority if not all eleven putting in a reasonable shift. Smith doesn't think it can last like this for too much longer.

Ish, anyway, at just over or just under 30 seconds, or roughly 250m. It's in the balance, but it's not getting easier to bring back, because they're trying, and matches are being burnt. Bahrain Victorious are doing the driving on behalf of Matej Mohoric.

The gap is too small for any team cars to be in the gap between it, so there's not going to be much help available to him, unless he can get it from other riders in this group. Don't expect an allen key from Tom Pidcock.

Behind Pogacar's team-mate Matteo Trentin, who had looked spent, has returned to the front of the peloton, whether to disrupt the chase or to simply be there in case the catch comes, we cannot know. They're onto the Bemelerberg, almost 1km at 5.6% average, within the context, easily enough to cause some hurt.